Saturday, 11 January 2014

Be careful what you wish for!

The kids and I learnt long ago that you have to be careful what you wish for in the Lindfields' household. An unguarded moment spent musing about - say - ' we've never been to Uruguay' - and next thing you know you can find yourself sitting on an aeroplane wishing you'd had more time to brush up on your spanish.

David has been known to go from idle suggestion to - 'holiday completely booked' - in less than 24 hours. Evenings are an especially dangerous time. A morning slip-up can sometimes be recovered during the day but once in bed I can be blissfully unaware of the holiday planning wheels turning until presented with a fait accompli over breakfast.

I am however not a total hermit. I do like travel - sometimes - usually close to home and not too far out of my comfort zone. To that end I have decided to start a holiday wishlist where I can record the places I actually want to go - not just those I might muse about ................ David, are you listening.

Kangaroo Island - D and I have collected islands our whole travelling lives. We lived on one once for a year - Norfolk Island. It was not a happy experience and taught us that visiting a place and living in it can be two entirely different universes. Kangaroo Island has been high on my wishlist for a few years now. We almost made it in 2008 but had to cancel at the last minute. I am a pushover for anywhere where you can see animals in their natural environment and Kangaroo Island has a reputation for Australian fauna which is unsurpassed. http://www.southaustralia.com/regions/kangaroo-island.aspx

Raymond Island - A tiny Island off the east coast of Victoria. I had never heard of it until this morning but I have just discovered that it is one of the best places in Victoria to see koalas - straight to the top of my 'must see' list. http://www.raymondisland.net/index.html

The Kimberleys - One of the last true wilderness areas of the world. I am not certain we will ever make it - much as I would love to go. David isn't really keen so I would have to organise it myself and, frankly, I can't see that happening. Also I'm pretty sure you need a four-wheel drive and some rudimentary knowledge of how to fix it if you break down in the extreme outback and don't want to die there - not something we have in our skill sets. We did fly to Broome once. It is everything the travel guides suggest including the killer jelly fish. Part of our holiday included five hours at Broome hospital after one of the boys got stung about 30 seconds after entering the water at Cable Beach. If anyone out there knows anything helpful about how to visit The Kimberleys without either joining a tour (David doesn't do tours) or risking death, I am open to suggestions. http://www.westernaustralia.com/en/Destinations/Australias_North_West/The_Kimberley/Pages/The_Kimberley.aspx

I'd also love to hear from anyone who has been to any of the places on my wishlist - or anywhere else good for wildlife spotting. Just a heads up here - the holy grail of wildlife would be to see a platypus in the wild - but I have no idea where to start looking for one. If you can help - my contact details are on the 'contact' page.